


A Little Nutty

by JesusCheese



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Allergies, Anaphylaxis, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Chwe Hansol | Vernon-centric, Crying, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Vomiting, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24029371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesusCheese/pseuds/JesusCheese
Summary: As the tightness in his chest intensified, Vernon realized that he'd made a grave mistake. "Peanuts."Or, Vernon has a peanut allergy, the staff are careless, and the members give him the care that he deserves
Relationships: Chwe Hansol | Vernon/Everyone
Comments: 17
Kudos: 413





	A Little Nutty

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it again with another hurt/comfort fic inspired by the latest Going Seventeen  
> Hope y'all like it!

Vernon had tried a peanut butter sandwich once at a friend’s backyard party. His friend’s father had prepared the bread and peanut butter, a side of fruit, juice drinks- the whole deal. Vernon had never had peanut butter before. He remembered his mouth watering at the sight of it all- tantalizing, amazing, jaw-dropping.

The taste was even better than the smell. 

When the food had finally been served, he dug in, taking a piece of everything and shoving it down his gullet as fast as he could. It had been a long day of swimming in the sun, and the bread and sweet peanut butter was the best sensation he’d ever felt in his life.

Right before he felt the worst.

Not even ten minutes after he began eating, his throat closed nearly completely. His eyes swelled and watered, his mouth went dry, his fingers tingled, and he couldn’t breathe. He had collapsed right there on his friend’s lawn and writhed as a man he didn’t know yanked him from the ground and tossed him into a car.

He woke up in the hospital to a big mask on his face and a wristband digging into his arm displaying the words FOOD RESTRICTION PEANUT ALLERGY.

Vernon had almost been killed by a sandwich.

…

And then he became a singer and joined Seventeen. The allergy incident was so far removed from his memory that he didn’t really even think to tell his members. It should’ve occurred to him to mention it. “Hey, guys, by the way, if I eat a peanut, I’ll straight up die.” A simple sentence. It also would’ve been easy to remember when Seungkwan talked about tomatoes.

“Aren’t you allergic?” Chan had asked from his chair. 

“I’ll brave any allergy for the taste of spaghetti,” Seungkwan responded courageously. “They just make my throat and lips tingle; I’m not gonna die...It’s just like Mingyu spends an hour in the bathroom every time he drinks a milkshake.”

Mingyu looked offended. “Hey! It’s not my fault that I’m lactose intolerant.”

“It is your fault that you drink milkshakes,” Vernon pointed out.

“Leave me alone, Vernon. They’re my only happiness.”

“Fine, then don’t bother Seungkwan about his tomatoes.”

Vernon still forgot to mention his peanut allergy.

…

It wasn’t often that they got to have a nice, big dinner like this- all thirteen of them. They were gathered around the table in the living room, all chatting and laughing when the chicken arrived. Almost immediately, everybody dug in. Chicken was Vernon’s absolute favorite.

“Slow down!” Joshua called. “There’s more coming.”

He set kimchi, a massive plate of noodles, egg rolls, and some sort of soup. Vernon took a little bit of each, knowing that the kimchi at least was safe. The good thing about Korean food was that a large majority of it came without peanuts. Some of the chicken came with it, and packaged foods were always tricky, but it was nothing that a read-through of ingredients couldn’t fix.

“Egg rolls are my absolute favorite,” Vernon noted, shoving nearly the whole roll into his mouth.

“I thought chicken was your absolute favorite,” Jeonghan chuckled, slapping him on the back when he gagged a bit at his large bite.

Vernon swallowed fully. “It was until I ate the egg roll. Look, now noodles are my favorite.” He ate the ramen. He moved on to the noodle dish, sniffing it deeply and letting his mouth water freely. He didn’t recognize this dish.

“I think this is my favorite,” Seungkwan noted, slurping it up.

“What is it?” Vernon asked, moving the spoon closer to his mouth. If Seungkwan loved it, Vernon trusted it.

“Forgot what it was called,” Jun spoke up. “But I tried it when I first got to Korea.” He scooped some up into his mouth, humming in delight. “Isn’t it just stir fry with peanuts?.

“I think so,” DK nodded, swallowing his large bite.”

Panicking, Vernon spit out the little bit that had touched his tongue, dropping his spoon and running to the kitchen to rinse his mouth. Had he swallowed any? Had he heard Jun correctly? Would he need his epipen? God, he hadn’t used the epipen in years.

“Vernon?” Seungcheol called, standing up and rubbing his back as he leaned over the sink. “What’s wrong? It can’t be that bad.”

Then and only then did Vernon realize that he’d made his debut with these guys, trained with these guys, performed with these guys, and never managed to tell them about his peanut allergy. He always just avoided the nut, and the rest of them didn’t ask questions. It was easy enough to assume that he just didn’t like peanuts.

How in the world had Vernon managed to avoid an anaphylactic episode? Especially considering all of the people around him not knowing that he couldn’t eat it?

He turned off the water. “I’m allergic to peanuts.”

Seungcheol was confused, laughing like Vernon was pulling a bad joke. “What? No you’re not. You eat peanuts all the time.”

“I promise you, if I ate peanuts all the time, I’d be dead.”

“Vernon get your butt in here,” Jeonghan demanded, glaring at him from the living room. “Are you pranking us?”

Vernon huffed. “No, I’m not pranking you! I just...forgot to tell you.”

“You forgot? For years, you forgot to tell us that peanuts would kill you?”

“I know, I know...I totally meant to tell you, but it just never came up naturally in conversation-”

“The flow of conversation doesn’t matter!” Joshua rushed, looking completely flabbergasted. “You- why- I can’t believe you forgot to tell us!”

“It’s not my fault! I’ve been living with it for so long that it didn’t seem like a big deal to me anymore, so I just didn’t...didn’t need to say anything.”

Wonwoo cleaned up Vernon’s mess and set the spoon back on the table. “Did you swallow any of it?”

Vernon took a moment to think, paying attention to the tightness in his chest, a tickle in his throat, tingling, anything…”I don’t think so.”

“Do you even have medicine?” Chan asked, tucked under Hoshi’s arm. “For if you do eat it?”

“I mean...yeah, there’s a epi pen in my bag. Dunno if it’s expired or not, but-”

“Vernon, you’ve got to take better care of yourself,” Seungcheol scolded, turning to the rest of the boys. “Tomorrow, we renew his medicine. From now on, no peanuts in the dorm, at restaurants, at practice, anything. I don’t want any accidents, and I don’t want peanuts anywhere..”

Vernon protested. “Oh, come on, they love peanuts. You don’t have to take their food away just because-”

“I hate peanuts!” Minghao assured him. “It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted!” Vernon watched as he slid his empty bowl behind him. It had been licked clean. Vernon appreciated the effort.

“And Vernon, if you’re not sure what a food is, ask about it, for god’s sake.”

Well. he finally told them. It went over about as smoothly as he could’ve hoped for.

…

“Hyung,” Mingyu spoke, catching his manager's attention. “Did you know Vernon has a peanut allergy?”

The manager nodded, looking up from his phone. “It’s on his information file.”

“Seriously, Vernon?” the leader asked, coming up behind Mingyu. “The manager knows but I don’t?”

“Well do be fair, I didn’t have to tell him,” Vernon shrugged, too tired to argue. It was much too early.

“I thought I told you to tell them as soon as you could,” the manager addressed him. “Like...years ago. You never told them?”

“I forgot, really. It’s my bad.”

“But what if you ate peanuts?”

Seungcheol sprung up. “That’s what I’m saying!”

“Well I haven’t, and I won’t if I continue like I am now. I’ve avoided peanuts since I was seven years old, and I’ve managed just fine. Just...let it go.”

And they did...not without a slap to the back of his head though.

…

Vernon was by all means not a morning person. He was nowhere near as bad as Jihoon, but still...he was bad. He loved the nighttime, which was a trait in his favor for late night concerts and award shows. What he didn’t enjoy, however, was waking up at five thirty in the morning for arrival at six, hair and makeup at seven, wardrobe at nine, prep at ten, and filming for the show at eleven.

With so many members, everything was a process. Plus, because it was an eating show for Going Seventeen, they’d been told to avoid eating beforehand.

Vernon had slept through most of his hair and makeup, waking up with a shake from Jihoon, who was waiting to get his own makeup brushed onto his face. He then moved onto the cramped clothing rack, asking a staff member which set belonged to him.

It was nice enough. A burnt yellow turtleneck, grey jacket, tan pants. The look was complete with simple black shoes, a luxury compared to the thick top. He already felt sweaty.

“Aren’t you going to be hot?” Chan asked, pulling on his pair of shoes.His outfit looked much less stuffy. Lucky. Vernon shrugged and took a look around at the rest of the members- some dressed, some not. It looked like most of them would be wearing thick, heavy clothes that day.

It took less time than they had thought- the makeup, hair and wardrobe lasting only a little over an hour. Before long, they were standing on the white set, talking happily to the staff and learning about what they’d be doing. It was simple enough- eating, talking, joking. They did that without the cameras every day anyways.

The first food was Mala Xiang Guo, something that Vernon hadn’t ever tried before. It smelled amazing, though, and that was enough to get his stomach rumbling. Maybe skipping a meal that morning was worth it, if it meant they got to eat these kinds of foods. 

“Does this have peanuts in it?” Vernon asked under his breath, thankful that Minghao was sitting right next to him. From what he’d heard, most of the selection of foods was from China, and Minghao would certainly know about that.

The elder shook his head, mouth already full. “Really spicy though,” he told him quietly, not trying to interrupt the story tellers at the other side of the table. “Makes your mouth tingle.”

“I’d rather have it tingle for that reason than the other,” Vernon chuckled, scooping some onto his plate and passing it off to the next person. It was incredibly, incredibly spicy. He slurped up nearly half of his drink after only a few bites, laughing through the pain when Minghao burst out into laughter.

Whatever story Jihoon was telling must’ve been impressive to get Minghao to laugh like that. Vernon found himself joining in, despite not knowing the reason.

Once they’d all had their fill of the Mala Xiang Guo, they pulled out another food, La Zi Ji. Again, it was Chinese, and it looked even better than the last. The chicken looked just right- perfectly seasoned and fried. Vernon wanted nothing more than to shove it all in his mouth.

“Isn’t one of you allergic to peanuts?”

Vernon looked up to the staff, frowning. “This has peanuts?”

“It does. Everybody else is free to eat, but you should stay away.”

Vernon sighed, putting on a happier face for the cameras when they started rolling again. He watched the others eat with a watering mouth. At one point, Minghao leaned over and blew the aroma into his face, just so he could experience the dish. Vernon smiled at the inclusion, patting his friend’s back. He would just have to wait until the next dish.

Di San Xian.

“Peanuts?”

“You’re good,” Minghao reassured him, poking through the food on his plate just to make sure. They always did this- checked the food. Most meals, it wasn’t necessary since they ate the same stuff everyday anyways. When going out or doing eating broadcasts like this, though, you could never be too careful.

He grabbed some of the food, poking around in it with his chopstick and holding off on his mouth’s demands until he performed his routine check...It was mixed cooked veggies slathered in a salty spicy sauce. It’d be good on rice. Vernon shoved that in his mouth as well, coughing a bit at the unexpected spicy.

“Oh my god,” he choked out, slapping Minghao when the elder giggled at him. “That’s spicy.”

“It’s Chinese. What’d you expect?” Joshua asked from across the table, giving him a jeering glance.

“Try the veggies, hyung,” Vernon suggested to the elder American. “They’re really tasty.”

Knowing that this was the last meal before moving on to dessert, Vernon ate as much as he could, finishing off food left on other plates and slurping it all up. He didn’t care that he was on camera. He’d missed one third of the meal, and he was fully intending to make up for it with the di san xian.

They were cut off from the food, a staff member calling a loud “Cut!”. The plates and dishes were swiftly removed along with the tables and chairs themselves. They loitered around, talking about the food as the staff prepared the dessert dishes. Sitting on the ground, Vernon found it much harder to keep cool. 

His outfit was not helping in the slightest. He shrugged off his jacket, tossing it to the side and taking his place on the floor, Hoshi to his right, Jun to his left. The cameras were quickly rolling again and the members gave a mighty roar of satisfaction at seeing their dessert dish- Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Maybe that would help Vernon feel cooler...that is, if he could even sit up straight. His head was starting to swim as sweat ran down the sides of his face. His stomach was churning violently all the sudden. Something in the dishes must’ve been under cooked. He had food poisoning; he was sure of it.

He swiveled his head from the left to the right, checking to see if any of the members felt nearly as bad as he did, but all that he found was twelve other boys digging into the ice cream. He passed along the container to the next member when it got to him, completely uninterested.

Jun noticed, wrapping an arm around Vernon’s back and frowning at the way it stuck to his skin. “Are you alright, Vernon? You’re pale.”

“I must’ve eaten something bad,” he croaked, all of the conversation making his stomach lurch once more. He discreetly held a hand over his mouth, trying to keep all of that greasy food from making another appearance.

Just as he thought he had it under control, he leaned forward and puked, right there on the white set floor. The members halted their conversations, choosing instead to stare at Vernon. He was on his hands and knees, shaking violently over a puddle of his own vomit.

“Does anybody else feel sick?” a staff member asked, telling the camera men to halt the filming. “Was the food bad?”

The rest of them shook their heads. They felt...fine. The food was amazing.

“What’s wrong, Vernon? Are you sick?” Jun looped his arms around Vernon’s torso, pulling him back into the elder’s chest, trying to get a better look at his face, and- oh, oh dear god. His eyes were red and streaming, tears falling from his cheeks. His lips were swollen and bright red in contrast to his pale face. And the red marks crawling up his neck gave it all away.

Vernon’s mouth opened and closed helplessly as he tried to breathe through a constricted windpipe. “A...ate- p...pean-nut...J-jun, pe...peanut-”

“I know, I know, shit,” Jun tried, staring up at the other members, who were in a frenzy around them.

“Did you eat the peanut dish?” Jeonghan asked, approaching and helping Jun lay him flat on the ground, using Hoshi’s thigh as a pillow. Vernon’s pupils were blown wide, swimming aimlessly on an expanse of white. His chest was spasming, his neck veins sticking out in his desperation for oxygen. He wasn’t going to answer.

“He didn’t,” Minghao told them. “I- I told him not to eat the second dish, and the third...god, the third didn’t have peanuts in it, did it? I told him it was fine. I- I promised him!”

“What happened?” Seungcheol demanded, looking to the staff. “I know that Vernon wouldn’t eat food with peanuts in it, so if he ingested them, it’s not his fault. Tell me how they got into his body.”

“The third dish...we made it on the same dish as the peanut dish, but we didn’t think...is peanut residue enough to set off a reaction like that? We- we tried to keep the peanuts out of the meal. I don’t-”

Seungcheol looked ready to explode if he stared at the staff any longer. They cooked all of the food in the same pan, used the same utensils, and didn’t expect traces of ingredients to linger? He was going to sue. If Vernon- if Vernon was really sick, those people would lose their jobs.

Thankfully, Jeonghan was handling Vernon just fine, so it seemed. He’d removed the younger’s thick sweater, leaving him in just an undershirt and his dress pants. His was holding Seungkwan’s hand in a vice grip, spluttering and coughing as the air fought to reach his lungs and brain.

Hoshi was doing what he could as his human pillow, trying to help him breathe.

“His epipen-” Seugcheol began, walking away from the staff. “Please tell me it’s here. We-”

“Dino’s getting it,” Jeonghan said calmly, holding Vernon’s neck and rubbing his chest, trying to coax some air into his body. He knew it was a futile action- more for his comfort than Vernon’s aid. He had to have faith in Dino- the youngest knew where it was. It was just a matter of getting it to him in time.

“And an ambulance-”

“Already called,” Jihoon interrupted, pointing to the phone at his ear.

Just then, Chan came barreling back on to set, jumping over the small puddle of puke and uncapping the medicine. He jabbed it through the thick pants and held it against Vernon’s thigh, begging, hoping that he would take just one full breath. No, just one half breath. Anything.

“Come on Vernonie,” Jun coaxed, fingers on the younger’s wrist. “Come on now, take a deep breath. You’re safe here. The medicines in. You’ve just gotta help it work, baby. Try to take in a breath.”

Vernon’s eyes stared longingly at Seungcheol in particular, clinging to the leader as if he was asking him a question. He was terrified, and Seungcheol was no better suited to handle it than him. But he had to pretend. For Vernon, he had to pretend. “It’s okay, Vernonie. The worst is over. All you need to do now is stay awake and try to breathe. The medicine is working. Can’t you feel it?”

He shuffled a little bit closer, murmuring in his ear now. “Your chest is going to be a little less tight, the temperature a little less hot. Your eyes will stop watering, and your throat will open up. You’re not going to die. We won’t let that happen. Now come on, take a deep breath. For hyung.”

And for the first time in what seemed like an hour, Vernon’s inhale was more than a squeak. His breath was enough to bring back color in every member’s face besides his own. He drew another choked breath. Then another. Then another.

Then, the paramedics showed up, shooing them all to the side as they skillfully and professionally loaded him up onto the stretcher.

“One of us can come, right?” 

The paramedics scanned the boys, and Seungcheol only wondered what they looked like at that moment- ice cream dried on their faces, messy hair, pale skin. He was sure that they’d seen worse than them.

“One of you.”

“Go, Coups,” Jeonghan murmured, pushing him forward with a hand on his back. “He’d want you there.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Go. There’s no time to waste.”

“Coups,” Joshua called out, giving him a quick hug. “You did well. Thank you for helping him.”

And really, what could he say to that?

All that mattered now was that he was safe. He was safe and breathing and in the hands of medical professionals. Seungcheol felt just about ready to collapse to the ground and cry or cuddle Seungkwan to his chest and wipe his tears. Vernon was waiting for him.

He marched out of the room, following the paramedics and exiting the studio. 

If one of his boys needed him, he would be there. No questions asked.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and let's chat!


End file.
